1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic apparatuses, and more particularly, to a small electronic apparatus such as an electronic organizer and a portable information terminal, and an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most of conventional electronic apparatuses display a screen which clearly shows functions of the electronic apparatuses, such as a calendar, a menu screen, and a data input screen, at the time of power-up. Other apparatuses firstly display a message indicating that a power supply is switched on, or display graphics of a person, an animal, and a symbol mark instead of the message.
However, asides from apparatuses for business use, one of attracting points of electronic apparatuses for personal use is a fun element such as pleasure in using the apparatus. This is true especially in electronic organizers for children used by younger users. Conventional electronic apparatuses, however, do not include such an attractive aspect.
Improvements in display at the time of power-up have been proposed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 2-114318 and 5-20016. An apparatus disclosed in these documents includes a plurality of icons in a menu screen, a corresponding function (such as a word processor program, a spread sheet program, and a drawing program) being assigned to each icon, whereby a user can activate a desired program by selecting an icon corresponding to a desired function.
Such a menu screen is displayed at the time of power-up in the apparatus disclosed in the above documents. For an easier use of the menu screen, the apparatus disclosed in the above documents is provided with a means for storing the frequency of selection of each icon so that each icon is displayed in the menu screen in a size reflecting the usage frequency thereof, thereby generating variety in the screen and facilitating usage of the menu.
Even in the apparatus disclosed in the above documents, however, only functions have been taken into account, and an aspect for providing an electronic apparatus which gives fun in using the apparatus has not been proposed. No matter how much ways of displaying of something like icons which have to represent plainly functions assigned thereto are improved, a matter of pleasure will not be improved proportionally.